Dancing Shoes

Maren's first pair of shoes were a pair of brown skidders with pink polka dots. These shoes are designed in the form of socks with rubber soles to make them easy to put on with just enough protection for the bottom of the kiddo's feet. I remember when I brought them home and showed them to Maren for the first time. She knew exactly what they were for and immediately plopped down on the floor, raised a foot in the air, and couldn't wait for me to put them on her feet. She was so proud. And her love of shoes continues. Last time grammy came to visit she brought 3 pairs of new shoes: kiddie converse (my favorite), white sandals, and pink shoes with big sparkles (ugh!). Of course Maren loves putting on those sparklers! She walks around the room half bent so she can keep an eye on her sparkling feet.

Melmo & Joos

It's official. We are once again a family of four. Mama, Daddy, Maren, and our newest addition: Melmo. It was all started by one of my co-workers who innocently handed down an Elmo DVD that her son had loved. I used that disc to test out the DVD player in the van one day and thus started Maren's obsession. Every where she goes now it's "Melmo? Melmo? Melmo?" When she wakes up, "Melmo?" After breakfast, "Melmo?" When we turn on the TV to skype family, "Melmo! Melmo!" What have I done!?! At least it's not a large purple dinosaur named Barney.

Another thing Maren can't get enough of right now is juice. Orange juice, specifically. When Brent went to Great Grandma Elaine's 90 birthday party in Arizona he came back with bags of fresh oranges from her trees. Grandma Gill made Maren a special treat with those oranges - fresh squeezed orange juice. She drank glass after glass and kept asking for more. Now it's the first thing she asks for when she wakes up in the morning and the last thing she wants before going to bed. She brings her sippy cup over to me, pulls my finger and says "Up! Up!", and drags me to the refrigerator where she pleads her case for more "joos". It's actually one of my favorite parts of the day because it's one of the few times she still curls up in my lap to cuddle while she guzzles the magic elixir.